->''"So, ten out of ten for style, but minus several million for good thinking."'' -->-- '''Zaphod Beeblebrox''', from ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' by Creator/DouglasAdams

The intersection of the sets "Stupid things" and "Awesome things", which, surprisingly, are non-disjoint sets. A field mainly occupied by the obsessions of 8-year old boys, but one that can be surprisingly fertile for all that.

'''Examples should be confined to things that are acknowledged in-universe as being stupid or ridiculous, yet are treated as being [[MundaneMadeAwesome awesome]] or cool despite or because of this.'''

Differs from SoBadItsGood and SoCoolItsAwesome by being the localized case; those apply to the whole show. See also AchievementsInIgnorance, a SisterTrope: when the "impossible" is achieved due to not knowing it's impossible; frequently, cases of CoolButStupid are acknowledged as being stupid, but carry on regardless "just to see what will happen". Compare AwesomeButImpractical.----!!InUniverseExamplesOnly

[[AC:Live Action Television]]* Many of the things Jeremy Clarkson builds on ''Series/TopGear''. Past examples have included a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDlMLqdvHzI V8 powered blender]], a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COd5kAKac0U flamethrower mounted on a snowplough]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggROOCxcZZI modding a car so much it caught fire]]. Although May and Hammond once converted a Reliant Robin (very small plastic three wheeled car) into [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b4WzWFKQ20 a space shuttle]] (which exploded on takeoff because it couldn't properly detach from the rockets, but details). It is also their opinion of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagani_Zonda Pagani Zonda.]] The ''TopGear'' equivalent of CoolButStupid, frequently leveled as a judgment on their own projects, is "Ambitious but rubbish."* Many a "carry the myth to its logical conclusion" test on ''Series/MythBusters''. Past examples include a car with dimples like a golf ball and a boat made out of duct tape.--> '''Adam:''' I've just had one of those "what the hell are we doing" moments.* In ''Series/HomeImprovement'', many of Tim Taylor's "improvements" on [[ShowWithinAShow Tool Time]]. One being a rocket-powered riding lawnmower.

[[AC:Music]]* Music/TobyKeith said that he decided to record "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKZqGJONH68 Red Solo Cup]]" because it was both the stupidest and most awesome song he had ever heard.

[[AC:Tabletop Games]]* Flavor text from ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' suggests that most of the [[OurGnomesAreWeirder gnomes']] most brilliant inventions started with astoundingly dumb ideas. For instance, the Gnomish Magnetic Armor, which [[AntiMagic repels magical attacks]], was originally intended to repel metal debris on workroom floors.* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'' Ultra-Tech has the rocket striker. It's a swinging melee weapon ''with a rocket engine attached for extra power''. Yes, you read that right. May be either SoBadItsGood or just far too silly for the setting.* ''TabletopGame/{{Rifts}}'' has no such compunctious, however, and will gladly introduce weapons like the bangstick, a truncheon (also available in staff and hammer) with a single-round shotgun chamber built into one end and an impact trigger. It sells like hotcakes because Rifts' Earth adventurers and mercenaries are stated in-universe to live and die by RuleOfCool, and many of them love the concept of being able to finish off the enemy by [[CherryTapping poking them with a stick]].** The funny part is, something basically similar ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powerhead really exists]]'' and is [[NotCompletelyUseless perfectly practical but highly situational.]]

[[AC:Video Games]]* The Civilopedia, the in-game encyclopedia of the ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}}'' series, has this opinion (quite vocally) about HumongousMecha. In Civ 5, it admits flat-out that mecha are [[AwesomeButImpractical deadly, but completely inefficient]], far too vulnerable to the enemy, [[MundaneSolution and could be outdone by]] [[TankGoodness chopping off the legs and putting the rest of it on treads]]. But they're ''[[RuleOfCool just too cool]]'' to not have.* This is the entire premise of VideoGame/GoatSimulator. It succeeds wildly.[[AC:Web Animation]]* [[WebAnimation/{{PonyDotMov}} SWAG.MOV]]'s climactic battle [[spoiler:between a {{Kaiju}}-sized Rainbow Dash and Discord]]. The FreezeFrameBonus in this scene reads, "THIS IS SO FUCKING RETARDED OH MY GOD I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M ANIMATING THIS".

[[AC:Webcomics]]* The AltText for [[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/20p67 this]] strip of ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'' (in which Doc focuses his energy to fight ghosts by humming the ''Franchise/{{Ghostbusters}}'' theme) reads, "Very stupid ideas taken very seriously. Dr. [=McNinja=]."** The entire Radical Lands are ''made'' of this. Inhabitants include winged sharks and octopuses, muscle-bound gun-toting dinosaur people, flying tattoo needles, helicopter-head ents, a centaur-werewolf hybrid, a bipedal unicorn tyrant, and way too many creatures with CoolShades. It is implied that Dr Mcninja's dimension is in between the "boring" real world and the Radical Lands, and is therefore a balanced WorldOfWeirdness as opposed to the full-blown WorldOfChaos that is the Radical Lands.* Sword-chucks[[note]]That's nunchucks made out of swords. They're even stupider than they sound.[[/note]] in ''[[Webcomic/EightBitTheater 8-Bit Theater]]''. Every character except their inventor is fully aware of how completely idiotic this is, but they end up working perfectly.** In a guest comic, Fighter even makes staff-chucks to cast spells with. They're considered even more ridiculous and turn out to spray destructive magic uncontrollably when used. Since he made them as a gift for [[HeroicComedicSociopath Black Mage]], it all works out.* In ''Webcomic/KnightsOfBuenaVista'', this is how Mary feels about watching a Creator/MichaelBay movie.-->"I ''know'' his movies are really stupid. That's ''WHY'' I like them."

[[AC: Web Video]]* In ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'''s review of ''ComicBook/BruteForce'', Linkara acknowledges this about the comic.* ''WebVideo/HonestTrailers'': This is the Narrator's opinion of ''Film/PacificRim''. He dubs it "either ''The Most Awesome Dumb Movie Ever Made'' or ''The Dumbest Awesome Movie Ever Made''."-->'''Narrator''': Let's be honest, that movie was super dumb. But I still cannot wait for the sequel!* Brand in ''WebVideo/MidnightScreenings'' felt that ''Film/TransformersAgeOfExtinction'' worked better than the other films due to being just stupid enough to avoid pissing him off, and having the cool aspects that he enjoyed in other Creator/MichaelBay films.

[[AC:Western Animation]]* The martians of ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' destroyed their own civilization and worked themselves to extinction to turn Mars into a workable space-craft (except, of course, that upon completion there was no-one left to drive it). Why? ''Because it was cool.''----